Frame for bowling alleys and removable pit cushions therefor



Oct. 25, 1949. L. RICCI FRAME FOR BOWLING ALLEYS AND REMOVABLE PIT CUSHIONS THEREFOR Filed April 26, 1944 mm mm Patented Oct. 25, 1949 FRAME FOR BOWLING ALLEYS AND REMOV- ABLE PIT CUSHIONS THEREFOR Luigi Ricci, Hyde Park, Mass.

Application April 26, 1944, Serial No. 532,792

My present invention relates to pit cushions for bowling alleys or the like.

In bowling alleys, it is necessary to use a pit cushion adjacent the rear end or wall of the alley against which the balls may strike. This conventionally consists of a heavy padded frame supported on hooks located under the shelf on which the pin boys sit. In use, the impact of the balls and pins against the pit cushion soon causes injury to it so that frequent replacement or repair of the pit cushions is a source of regular expense to the owner of the alleys.

Although such damage or injury to the pit cushions is almost invariably confined to only the lower portion of its area, the entire pit cushion must be replaced or repaired. Because of their weight and size, their repair and replacement is almost invariably attended byconsiderable delay thereby making it impossible to use the alley for a length of time and representing a substantial source of lost revenue to the operator.

In accordance with my invention, I provide pit cushions that consist of a suitable frame adapted to be conventionally supported in the alley, a padded element, and locking means adapted to detachably connect the element to the frame so that it may be easily removed and replaced thereby obviating the need for handling the frame. The locking means may conveniently comprise elements located on the rear face of the padded element to enter and engage with complemental locking elements on the front face of the frame of the pit cushion. The locking means are so located that the padded element may be turned end for end and supported thereby in the same predetermined relation to the frame but exposing a different portion of the element for contact by the balls and pins, thereby permitting the padded element to be used again after a portion of its surface begins to show signs of injury. The padded element may consist of interchangeable sections making it possible to make five changes in the padded element before repairs are required.

Pit cushions in accordance with my invention have the advantage that when an element becomes injured or damaged in use it can be reversed and when it is so worn that it needs to be repaired or replaced it may be readily detached from the frame and easily handled making for economy in the maintenance of pit cushions and increased profit to the operator since his alleys are never tied up but for a few minutes because of damaged pit cushions.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown 4 Claims. (Cl. 27353) illustrative embodiments of my invention from which its several novel features and advantages will be readily apparent.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a cross section through an alleyshowing a pit cushion in accordance with my invention set up for service.

Fig. 2 shows the frame of my pit cushion in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a pit cushion, and

Fig. 4 shows a padded element consisting of sections.

In Fig. l, I have indicated at Ill a bowling alley above the rear H of which is a shelf E2 on which the pin boy sits when the alley is being used.

Conventionally, the shelf I2 supports a pair of hooks [3 by which the pit cushions are supported.

In accordance with my invention, I employ a frame generally indicated at M consisting of top and bottom members l5 and I6 respectively, and side walls ll. If desired, a reinforcing partition may be used as at l8. Extending through the top and bottom members 15 and [6 are a pair of bolts l9 having eyes 28 to receive the hooks IS.

The side walls l! are formed with pockets 2| and the ends of the frame M are reinforced as at 22 with the reinforcements having keyhole shaped slots 23 in communication with the pockets 2|. Preferably, the reinforcements 22 terminate in U-shaped ends 24 so that they may overlie the ends of the top and bottom members I5, l6, and be bolted as at 25 through the frame M. The frame I4 in accordance with my invention and in contrast to pit cushions formerly used may be regarded as becoming a part of the.

alley since it never needs to be removed.

At 26 I have indicated generally a padded element which consists of a frame 21, a back 28, and a suitable cover 29 to hold the padding 30 in place. The padded element 26 also has reinforcements 3| adjacent its ends spaced to aline with the reinforcements 22 on the frame M. The reinforcements 3| carry headed members 32 disposed to register with the enlarged portions of the keyhole slots 23 so that they may enter the pockets 2| and slide downwardly to position the padded element in predetermined relation to the frame 44.

The attaching means established by the keyhole slots 23 and the headed members 32 are so located that the padded element 26 may be detached from the frame l4 and be reversed to move a damaged or worn area from bottom to top where it will not be subjected to further wear thereby doubling the life of the padded element. Because the padded 3 element is relatively light in weight, such change or replacement may be easily effected with a minimum of delay.

If desired, and as shown in Fig. 4, the padded element may consist of two or more sections 25*. These are similar in construction to the padded element 26 but offer the advantage of further decrease in weight with consequent ease of replacement and repair and in addition permits the elements to be interchanged one with the other as well as to be reversed, thereby affording four times as much potential use before the elements must be repaired or replaced.

From the foregoing, it Will be apparent that pit cushions in accordance with my invention ensure economy to the operator since the padded elements may be easily and quickly re positioned or changed combining longer service with minimum interference with the use of the alleys.

What I therefore claimand desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A pit cushion for a bowling alley or thelike comprising a frame to be mounted on hooks or the like adjacent the rear of the alley, said frame comprising top and bottom and side walls, a pair of bolt members interconnecting the top and bottom members, the upper ends of said members having looped terminals to receive the supporting hooks, each of said side walls having at least .one pocket therein alined with the pocket in the other side wall, a reinforcement attached to said frame against each of said side walls, said reinforcements having keyhole shaped slots in communi-- cation with said pockets, and a padded element including a frame consisting of top, bottom and side members, a reinforcement attached to said last named frame against each of said side members, headed elements on said last named reinforcements to enter said pockets through the enlarged portions of said slots and to slide downwardly therein to lock said paddedelement in predetermined relation to said first named frame.

2. A pit cushion for a bowling alley or the like comprising a frame to be mounted on hooks or the like adjacent the rear of the alley, said frame comprising top, bottom, and side walls, looped members on said frame to receive the supporting hooks, and a padded element including a frame consisting of top, bottom, and side walls, a reenforcement attached to each of said frames adjacent each of their side walls, headed elements on the reenforcements on one of said frames, the side walls of the other frame each having at least one pocket and the reenforcements on said other framehaving keyhole shaped slots in communication with said pockets, the larger portions of which receive the headed elements and the narrower portions of which retain said headed elements to lock said padded element to said first named frame when said padded element is slid downwardlyre'l-ative thereto.

-3. .A frame to support in the rear of a bowling alley, a pit cushion having adjacent its sides a pairof headed locking elements, said frame comprising top, bottom and side walls, looped supporting members connected to said frame for use in supporting it in said alley, each of said side walls having at least one pocket therein alined with the pocket in the other side wall, and a reenforcement attached tosaidframe adjacent .each of said side walls, said reenforcements having keyhole shaped slots in communication with said pockets, the larger portions of which receive the headed elements and the narrower portions of which retain said headed elements to lock the pit cushion to said frame when said pit cushion is slid downwardly relative thereto.

4. The device of claim 3 in which each reenforcement extends the entire length of each side wall and includes end portionsextending over the ends thereof and downwardly over a substantial part of the other side thereof, and means extending through the side walls for connecting front and rear portions of the reenforcements.

LUIGI RICCI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 878,040 Burke Feb. 4, 1908 1,805,267 Trei-ber May 12, L931 

